Jon Stewart

TV Personality

Born: 28 November 1962

Birthplace: New York City, New York

Best known as: Host of The Daily Show, 1999-2015

Name at birth: Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz

Jon Stewart became the host of Comedy Central's comedy and news show The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in 1999. In his role as a anchor, he delivered satirical takes on the day's political news; the show became so popular that, ironically, people began watching to actually learn about the imporant topics of the day. A former stand-up comedian known for his biting sarcasm, Stewart began hosting television shows in 1989, beginning with Short Attention Span Theater. Before Stewart's gig on The Daily Show he hosted You Wrote It, You Watch It (1992) and The Jon Stewart Show (1993-95), and appeared several times in HBO's The Larry Sanders Show (1992-2001). He has also appeared in small roles in the movies, including Half Baked (1998), The Faculty (1998, starring Elijah Wood) and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001). In 2014 he took a sabbatical from The Daily Show to direct his first film, the spy drama Rosewater. In 2015 he announced that he would step down from his hit show entirely later in the year, saying that "in my heart I know it is time for someone else" to host the show. Comedy Central announced in March of 2015 that South African comedian Trevor Noah would replace Stewart as host of the show.

Extra credit:

Jon Stewart hosted the Academy Awards in 2006 and 2008. Chris Rock hosted the 2005 edition of the show; Ellen Degeneres had the job in 2007.